Refrigerating apparatus



Sept. 14, 1937. M. KEIGHLEY REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct 7, 1936 INVENTOR. Aura If. fife'm/ue-y,

I ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 14, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,093,277 I REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Application October 7,1936, Serial No. 104,493

2 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and particularly to refrigerator cabinets.

An object of my invention is to provide an im-. proved refrigerator cabinet having the food storage chamber thereof divided into a plurality of compartments maintained at difierent temperatures relative to one another.

A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby a food storage chamber of a refrigerator cabinet can be selectively divided into a plurality of compartments of difierent storage capacity and maintained at diiferent temperatures relative to one another by a single cooling means located in the chamber.

A still further object of my invention is to provide means whereby the foregoing objects can be accomplished in cabinets now in use without materially altering their construction.

In carrying out the foregoing objects it is a still further and more specific object of my invention to provide an improved shelving for the food storage chamber of a refrigerator cabinet a portion of which shelving is constructed and arranged relative to the cooling element in the chamber to provide a plurality of isolated compartments within the chamber of difierent temperatures relative to one another and which shelving portion can be selectively rearranged to change the capacity of the compartments and the amount of the cooling element exposed to the compartments.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a refrigerator cabinet having my invention embodied therein;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the refrigerator cabinet shown in Fig. 1 and taken on the line 22 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional *view similarto Fig. 1 and showing the shelves-of *the refrigerator cabinet rearranged into a different position;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the shelves of the refrigerator cabinet in another rearranged position to provide a further arrangement thereof; and I Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figs. .3 and 4 showing the shelves arranged in a manner to provide a conventional refrigerator cabinet.

In order to illustrate the invention I have shown in the various figures of the drawings different arrangements of food supporting shelves within a refrigerated chamber of a refrigerator cabinet. The refrigerator cabinet disclosed is of the household type in which the desirability frequently occurs of having a plurality of freezing zones and a plurality ofcompartments of different size and temperature relative to one another which compartments are substantially isolated from air circulation therebetween. This desirability is occasioned by the necessity of properly storing certain food products such as meats or the like at very low temperatures and other food products separated from the meats and maintained at a relatively higher temperature within the same refrigerator cabinet.

Therefore my invention is particularly directed to a method of and apparatus for selectively dividing the interior of a food chamber, nor'inally maintained at a substantially uniform temperature throughout, of a refrigerator cabinet into a plurality of isolated compartments of different size and temperature relative to one another. a This is accomplished in the present disclosure by providing for the selective rearranging of continuous or impervious shelves into various positions relative to one another and relative to the cooling element within the food chamber.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the 'numeral l0 designates a refrigerator cabinet of the household type having an outer shell II which may form a support for the insulating material l2 surrounding a metal liner [3 defining a plurality of walls of a chamber M; The liner I3 is provided with an open side which forms an access opening to chamber l4 and which access. opening is normally closed by a door is (see Fig. 2). A cooling element or evaporator ll of any suitable or conventional construction is mounted in the upper part of chamber l4 and supported from'the top wall of liner l3 by bolts or the like Hi. The evaporator I1 is adapted to be connected to a refrigerant liquefying and circulating unit (not shown) in the well-known manner so as to produce a refrigerating effect for causing cooling and circulation of air within chamber l4. Evaporator I1 is provided with a plurality of freezing zones or compartments for the reception of trays I9 adapted to contain substances to be congealed or frozen. A plurality of P685 or shelf supporting members 2| are secured to the side walls of liner I3 and similar pegs 22 are attached to the evaporator I! so as to be in horizontal alignment with certain of the pegs 2|. These pegs 2| and 22 support a plurality of "shelves '23 and 24. Shelves 23 are of the c'on- 55 ventiOnal perforated or open wire type while shelves 24 are of continuous material (see Fig. 2) so as to be impervious to air circulation therethrough The shelves 22 and 24- divide or pertition the interior of chamber l4 into a plurality of superimposed food storage compartments. Itwill be noted that the upper shelves 22 are of the same size and'contour as shelves 24 and divide the upper part of chamber l4 adjacent evaporator l1 into small superimposed compartments 26 and 21. The lower shelves 22 divide chamber l4 into the relativelywide superimposed compartments 28. Obviously airupon being cooled by the refrigerating efi'ect produced by evaporator 11 is permitted to circulate freely through shelves 22 into the compartments on each side thereof. However, air is blocked, or the free circulation thereof is prevented, between the compartments on each side of shelves or partitions 24 due to the partitions 24 and the evaporator l1 extending continuously from a point adjacent the inner surface of cabinet door I! to a point closely adjacent the upright walls of liner 12 as shown in Fig. 2. The evaporator l1 has a portion thereof exposed to compartments 26, 21 and 28 at all times so as to maintain a substantially predetermined temperature in the various compartments. The temperature to be maintained within the various compartments is dependent upon the location of shelves or partitions 24 relative to the cooling element or evaporator l1. A rearrangement of partitions 24 will expose more or less of. the cooling surface of evaporator l1 to certain of the compartments to thereby decrease or increase the temperature thereof. The amount of exposure of evaporator l1 to the compartments on each side of the partitions 24 is predetermined to provide a temperature diflerence between the compartments.

Since the uppermost shelves 22 and shelves 24 are constructed so as to be interchangeable various isolated compartments of different size and temperature relative to one another can be selectively obtained. It will be noted that with .the partitions 24 inthe position, supported on the lower pegs 2| and 22 adjacent the cooling ele ment l1, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is provided within chamber I4 a storage space on each side of evaporator I1 which is isolated from air circulating within the compartments 22. The spaces on each side of the evaporator l1, which are divided into compartments 28 and 21 by the small shelves 22 to provide increased food supporting areas therein, are di-' rectly exposed to the cooling effect produced by the evaporator. These storage spaces are of considerably less capacity than the space formed by compartments 22 and have a greater amount of- .the surface of evaprator -l1 exposed thereto to thus maintain the compartments 22 and 21 above partition 24 at a much lower temperature than the temperature within co ments 22. By dividing chamber 14 with the partitions or shelves 24 to. The refrigerator chamber l4 contains the usual or normal predetermined amount of foodsupporting shelf area found in conventional refrigerator cabinets while at the same time being divided into a plurality of isolated compartments of different temperatures relative to one another. The primary feature of my invention is the low temperature storage space in chamberv l4, the small upper shelves 2! and partitions 24 may be rearranged within cabinet 12. By referringtoPig.3ofthedrawingsitwillbenotedthat both of the partitions 24 have been moved up and the small shelves 22 moved down. In this rearranged form of the shelving there is provided relatively small very cold storage compartments 2| at the upper portion of chamber l4 on each side of evaporator l1. The air in compartments 2! is isolated from the air which circulates through shelves 22, disposed below the partitions 24, and throughout the compartments 22 formed thereby. In this modified arrangement compartments 2| are maintainedat a slightly higher temperature than the cold compartments 22 and 21 of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 and the storage space below partitions 24 is maintained at a lower temperature due to the decrease and increase respectively of exposure of evaporator II to these storage spaces. The modified arrangement of the shelves, for changing the size and temperature of the isolated storage compartments within chamber N, as shown in Fig. 3 presents time-or another in the use of the refrigerator.

By referring now to JI'ig. 4 of the drawings it will be noted that I have disclosed a further rearrangement of the small shelves 22 and partitions 24 within chamber l4 of cabinet II. In this form of arrangement the one partition 24 defines a relatively tall isolated storagespace on one side of the evaporator II which is divided by shelf 22 into the compartments "and 21 similar to that shown in Fig. 1. The other partition or shelf 24 defines on the other side of evaporator l1 a small cold storage compartment 2i similar to the arrangement disclosed in Fig. 3. This modified arrangement provides a small and a relatlvely. larger very cold isolated compartment on 'generalstorsgespacedisciosedinl'ig.3. The

arrangement disclosedin Fig. 4 also presents certain advantages and maybe preferable at one time or another in the storing of food products intherefrigcratos.

Inl'lgJ of-the drawingsI'havedisclosedan rramementwhereinthepartitionsuhavebeen omittedfromchamberflandadditionalsmall wireshelves 2Itherefortoprcvlds asheivin amngmeatoftbetype'ordimriiy prment in conventional retrlgerator cabinets. 'lhisdisclosureisforthemmcl lrly'llthatmyinventionmaybereadilyand tition in any one of a plurality of spaced apart quickly applied to conventional refrigerators with a minimum of expense.

From theforegoing it will be seen that I have provided an improved refrigerating apparatus including a cabinet and provisions whereby the. shelving within the food storage chamber thereof can be rearranged at will to selectively provide a plurality of substantially isolated compartments of different size and temperature relative to one another so that a large variety of food products may be stored in the cabinet and cooled by the single evaporator to their respective proper preserving temperatures. Certain foods which absorb odors and flavors of other foods can, by my invention, be segregated from the other 'foods soastopermitsametoretaintheiroriginal odor and taste. My invention provides for the selective altering of a food storage chamber to form. a

multi-temperatured refrigerator cabinet at a.

minimum of cost. The interchangeability of the therein, acooling element of a closed refrigerant circulating system mounted in said chamber for chilling and causing circulaiion of air therein, a partition and means for supporting said parpositions within said chamber to divide same into a. plurality of food storage compartments, said partition being imperforate and having edges shaped to cooperate. with an exposed face of said cooling element and the walls of said chamber to substantially prevent passage of air from one compartment to the othensaid element beingso constructed that the exposed face thereof provides refrigeration for each of said compartments, and the amount of refrigeration for said compartments being determined by the selected position of support of said partition by said means within said chamber. I

2. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinet having an insulated chamber therein, a cooling element of a ciosed'refrigerant circulating system mounted in said chamber for chilling'and causing circulation of air therein, a partition and means for supporting said partition in any one of a plurality of vertically spaced apart positions at the side of said cooling element'to divide said chamber into a plurality of superimposed food storage compartments, said partition being imperforate and having edges shaped to cooperate with an exposed side wall of said element and the'side walls of said chamber to substantially prevent the passage of airfrom one compartment to the other, said element having said exposed side wall thereof constructed to provide an amount of refrigeration for each of said superimposed compartments, and the amount of refrigeration for said compartments being determined by the selected position of support of .said partition adjacent said element on s'aid means within said chamber.

LLOYD M. KEIGHLEY. 

